PHEV Headlight Level / Aim

[CBphev]

Any other PHEV users finding the headlight aim is very low?  We live in the countryside and at night, you litterally cant see more that 10m in front of you unless you have the full beams on!

The manual says they are auto eveling depending on the load in the car which they might be, but they auto level with a very low aim!!

[philip42h]

Dipped beams on RAVs have traditionally been considerate to other road users. The "too low" complaint has been made before ...

That said, if yours don't seem right to you you could get them checked - at the local MoT centre for example?

[ernieb]

I’ve found that the last couple of cars the dipped beam seems lower than I seem to remember from the past but maybe that’s just my age?

[CBphev]

thanks, looks like they are manually adjustable.... and I ahave a friend with a beam setter so might see if they are just not adjusted correctly from the factory and maybe tweak them up a bit!

 

[ColinB]

I had this problem with a Nissan Pulsar fitted with HID headlights with a similar system. I complained to the dealer, who checked the settings and said that they were correct - and then had a factory recall because the factory settings were too low.... 

I actually preferred the normal Halogen headlights on the replacement Pulsar that I had as there was more scatter, rather than a sharp cutoff. I've not driven my HEV RAV4 enough at night to see what they're like. 

[Lawnmowerman]

Oh how I miss the headlamps on my Laurin & Klement Skoda Yeti - outstanding. Nothing came close.

[ernieb]

9 hours ago, Lawnmowerman said:

Oh how I miss the headlamps on my Laurin & Klement Skoda Yeti - outstanding. Nothing came close.

Agree they were very good light, maybe something to do with the size and positioning but excellent and the auto dip worked a treat.

[Rav4ster]

It was discussed here several times before, and the outcome was that projector type headlights are set too low at the factory. Few people complained to the dealers and had lights readjusted to the highest allowed position and it improved illumination. This is the one of my things for PDI when new car arrives. HEV and PHEV have the same headlights.

[duncerduncs]

You can adjust them upwards with a small (long) Phillips head screwdriver - there is a little white screw head at the top of the headlight. 

Personally I would take them to an MOT place and see how 'low' they are before adjusting them!

[CBphev]

Thanks all, I am off to my friends garage tomorrow to measure them properly with a beam setter and then adjust from there

[ernieb]

5 minutes ago, CBphev said:

Thanks all, I am off to my friends garage tomorrow to measure them properly with a beam setter and then adjust from there

Let us know how you get on and if they are off by how much?

[Lawnmowerman]

15 hours ago, ernieb said:

Agree they were very good light, maybe something to do with the size and positioning but excellent and the auto dip worked a treat.

And what about that funny waggle dance they did 🤣.

[ernieb]

8 hours ago, Lawnmowerman said:

And what about that funny waggle dance they did 🤣.

Yes, my grandson would want me to wait till it was dark to take him home just so he could see the lights dance. I found the lights 'steering' around corners at junctions very useful especially on dark country roads, just enough to let you see a bit more. 

[Lawnmowerman]

15 hours ago, ernieb said:

Yes, my grandson would want me to wait till it was dark to take him home just so he could see the lights dance. I found the lights 'steering' around corners at junctions very useful especially on dark country roads, just enough to let you see a bit more. 

Seeing round corners - you don't know you need it until you have it. Then when you don't......................................😪.

[CBphev]

ok so checked, nearside is spot on, offside is slightly low - but not too bad.  If you get in the back you can seeing them adjusting.  But still, when stationary or going slow they seem fine, as soon as you get some speed up, they are just pointing so low!  

[IanML]

So the car's attitude is altering at speed?  Seems unlikely.  I could understand if it happened whilst accelerating, as torque reaction could cause the self-levelling to adjust the beams down, but there should be no effect at steady speed.

[CBphev]

sorry Ian, Cant say if the cars attitute is altering at speed, I can only tell you my experience, and that is that when i go faster, it appears the lights are pointing lower - could be a perception rather than reality - I have taken a few pictures with my dash cam, will try upload them and see what they show!  might show I am mad, might show I am not!!

 

I am going to adjust the drivers up a little bit at the weekend to match the passenger side as the more I notice it now, the more I think it actually would help a bit!

[Stopeter44]

10 hours ago, CBphev said:

sorry Ian, Cant say if the cars attitute is altering at speed, I can only tell you my experience, and that is that when i go faster, it appears the lights are pointing lower - could be a perception rather than reality

It's possibly a neuro-optical effect. Mrs Stopeter44 had trouble with some new glasses recently, and the optician explained about how our field of vision diminishes with speed.

[IanML]

1 hour ago, Stopeter44 said:

It's possibly a neuro-optical effect. Mrs Stopeter44 had trouble with some new glasses recently, and the optician explained about how our field of vision diminishes with speed.

That makes sense.  When the scene is changing rapidly, the brain has to concentrate on the essentials.